USAir Flight 1016

USAir Flight 1016 was a US domestic flight between Columbia, South Carolina and Charlotte, North Carolina. On July 2, 1994, the DC-9 operating the flight encountered a severe thunderstorm and microbursts, which induced wind shear while attempting to land, causing the plane to crash into trees and a private residence near the airport. The accident and subsequent fire killed 37 people and injured 16 others.

Investigation
The NTSB immediately dispatched an investigation team, which recovered the CVR and FDR from the plane's wreckage. After a lengthy investigation, the NTSB concluded that a microburst generated by the thunderstorm over the airport at the time of the crash was the probable cause of the accident. The NTSB listed these contributing factors:

The flight crew's decision to continue an approach to an area where a microburst was likely.
The failure of the flight crew to recognize wind shear quickly (exacerbated by an error in the wind shear alert software; the wind shear alert system should have warned them about 8–9 seconds prior to impact)
The failure of the flight crew to establish proper pitch and engine power that would have brought them out of the wind shear
The lack of timely weather information by air traffic control to the crew of Flight 1016

 References 

Other websites
Sudden Impact — A Flight Attendant's Story of Courage and Survival
Interview with Richard DeMary, flight attendant aboard flight 1016 (Archive)
Photo of N954VJ, prior to the crash 

NTSB investigation docket

Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in the 1990s
Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States
Category:Airliner accidents and incidents caused by pilot error
Category:1994 disasters
Category:1994 in the United States